Remember Jamie Baker (Jamie Baker #3)(64)

Ryan took my hand and gave it a squeeze. “It’ll be okay, Jamie.”

When he took my hand, the reporters following us down the street went crazy and began shouting more questions at us about our relationship. I was about to tell them all where they could shove their questions when Becky said, “It’s so good to see you guys together again.”

I ripped my hand from Ryan’s. “We’re not—”

“And it’s especially good to see Ryan happy again.”

I couldn’t finish my sentence anymore.

Becky sighed. “A world where Ryan Miller isn’t smiling is just wrong.”

Ryan responded by smiling so wide my cheeks hurt just looking at him. The smile was goofy, but it was also one hundred percent real. He was literally so happy he couldn’t contain himself. As hard as I tried not to let him get to me, I couldn’t help laughing. Becky lost it, too. Ryan threw his arms around us both and tucked us each into his sides. “This is the life,” he teased, smiling for all the people with cameras. “My two favorite girls on my arms, laughing like old times.”

When he spoke to the media people, they went nuts again. I rolled my eyes at Ryan and got a grin for my effort. He loved the attention.

We stopped at a corner across the street from the hospital and had to wait for the traffic signal to change. When I hit the button for the crosswalk, Becky took my hand and frowned down at my bare fingers. “Where’s your ring?” she asked. “I’ve been dying to see it.”

For a moment I had no idea what she was talking about. “Ring?”

“Your engagement ring. You disappeared before I got the chance to see it.”

She gave me a sheepish shrug and bit her lip. The attempt to control her excitement was futile. Her eyes gave her away. I, on the other hand, cringed. “Sorry,” I mumbled. “You’ll have to ask Ryan. I gave it back to him the other day.”

My face heated up at the way Becky’s eyes widened. “You gave it back?”

Ryan chuckled and pulled me even tighter against his side. “It’s okay,” he promised, shooting Becky a wink. “I’ve got the ring tucked away someplace safe. I’ll have it back on her finger soon enough.”

The conversation put the media in a frenzy again. A million questions were thrown at me.

“Your engagement’s off?”

“Are you broken up?”

“Why aren’t you dating?”

“Do you plan to stay friends?”

They all wanted an answer, but I didn’t know what to say. Why was I feeling guilty all of a sudden? The guilt pissed me off. I shouldn’t feel guilty. How did nobody understand that as charming as he might be, Ryan was a stranger? “Of course our engagement is off,” I snapped.

Laughing, Ryan squeezed me, as if to calm me down, and kissed my cheek. “Yes, the engagement is off,” he said to all the surprised reporters. He smirked at me and added, “Temporarily.”

The reporters were thrilled to have Ryan playing along. “Care to explain?” one of them asked.

I glared at the woman. “What’s there to explain? I have no memories of Ryan, fiancé or not. I don’t know him. He’s a stranger to me.”

Ryan shrugged. “Minor technicality.”

The reporter grinned at Ryan, but I backed away from him and scoffed. “Are you kidding me?”

Ryan’s grin doubled. “I never kid about our relationship, Jamie.”

He turned toward the camera and shook his head. “Don’t mind her. She’s always been a bit of a pessimist. But I’m confident. She may not know me anymore, but I know her. I know how to make her swoon. I made her fall in love with me once; I can do it again.”

He stepped close to me again and slid his arm around my waist, grinning for the cameras. “In fact, she’s already my girlfriend.” As my jaw dropped, he snatched my hand and kissed it. “We’re officially together again. Just not engaged…yet.”

It took all my effort not to fry him. I had to settle for ripping my hand away from his lips. “What are you talking about? We’re not a couple.”

“Babe.” Ryan shot me a wounded look. “What do you mean? Of course we are. I asked you to be my girlfriend this morning.”

“I didn’t say yes!”

“But you didn’t say no.”

I wanted to rip my hair out. He could be so infuriating. “You kissed me before I had the chance.”

Ryan folded his arms across his chest and gave me a look that suggested he meant business. “You kissed me back. A lot. I figured that was a yes.”

Willing myself not to blush, I matched his stance. “Well, it wasn’t.”

“So was too.” He looked at all the people with cameras and gave them a confident nod. “We’re totally a couple.”

They all laughed.

I fried the traffic light.

Traffic came to a stop when the lights blew out, and I took advantage, stomping across the street without waiting for my self-proclaimed boyfriend or his new fan club. Their laughter followed me all the way to the main entrance of the hospital.

“Take a breath, Angel,” Johnny G muttered, having fallen into step next to me when I’d left Ryan behind. “You don’t want to fry the power in a hospital.”